Flight Computers Redux

[Warren B. MusselmanModerator]

What I’ve been sorta planning on doing is using a gumstix with 3 serial ports. One port goes to my GPS chip, another to the RF wireless chip and the third to either an as-yet undesigned data acquisition and sensor package or to one of Adrian’s Parrot altimeters which can be polled in flight. My software on the gumstix would then combine the data into a single data structure something like:

Timestamp:GPS string:altimeter string:accelerometer string EOL
Timestamp:GPS string:altimeter string:accelerometer string EOL
Timestamp:GPS string:altimeter string:accelerometer string EOL

etc. etc. etc.

Pretty simple to do, might not even have to write C to do it – just a BASH script or C Shell script to tie together already available apps like gpsd and combine their output and push it out a tty port.

Unfortunately, right now my gumstix is sitting in a box on my bench while I’m doing a bunch of composite layup and vacuum bagging for my L3.

Warren

[Mike Bennett]

Interesting, I would like to see how it turns out. Greg and Brad have been working on the GPS add-on for the RMCS, should be ready to beta fly at the April Ex launch if we have it at the North site.

When do you plan to have yours ready Warren?

[Warren B. MusselmanModerator]

Well the original plan was to fly it in my L3 project at Mayhem, but it’s probably going to be on the backburner a few more months past that. I don’t want it to get in the way of my L3 flight. It might end up waiting until next Winter though I sincerely hope not. I’d like to get it flying this year.

Warren

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